Burial or cremation containers, referred to herein collectively as caskets, are one of the most expensive elements of a traditional funeral. Costs associated with traditional caskets are attributable in significant part to the material and labor cost of forming a casket of wood or metal material. Accordingly, one way to reduce casket (and hence funeral) costs includes the use of caskets made from alternative materials, such as paperboard. Such caskets are particularly suitable for cremation. However, caskets constructed of alternative materials of paperboard often do not provide as pleasing a presentation of the deceased during the wake or viewing. While advances in the construction of paperboard caskets have resulted in aesthetic improvements, such caskets still lack the aesthetic appeal of traditional wood caskets.
One solution to the countervailing tensions of reducing cost and retaining aesthetic appeal of wood (or metal) caskets involves the use of a reusable rental casket. Specifically, if a casket is desired for a traditional ceremony or viewing but not needed for burial because cremation has been elected, a paperboard casket or body tray may be inserted into a more ornate rental casket to provide an aesthetic viewing experience. In many cases, the paperboard casket is inserted into or removed from the rental casket via a removable or fold-down end panel.
One of the issues of known rental systems arises from the joints or seams where the moveable end panel meets the adjacent side panels. In many cases, all or some of the joint or seam between the moveable end panel and the side panel is visible. A visible gap formed at the seam between the panels reduces the aesthetic qualities of the rental casket as well as makes it easily identifiable as a rental casket to those present at the wake or viewing. One method for reducing the visibility of the gap is to cut the ends of the end panel and the side panels at a 45 degree angle to form mitered joints. However, this method requires additional machining precision and also does not completely eliminate visibility of the gap.
There is a need, therefore, for a rental casket system that provides the full aesthetic value of a traditional casket by concealing the seams between the moveable end panel and the adjacent side panels.